Collapsible boat



1961 L. PRZYBYLSKI 2,994,891

COLLAPSIBLE BOAT Filed July 21, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.9

INVENTOR LEON PPZYBYLS/(l BY= I? 06. W45

PATENT AGENT Aug. 8, 1961 L. PRZYBYLSKI COLLAPSIBLE BOAT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 21, 1958 INVENTOR LEON PRZYBYLS/(l B): FATE 7' AGENT United States Patent 7 2,994,891 COLLAPSIBLE BOAT Leon Przybylski, 124 Main St., Mimico, Ontario, Canada Filed July 21, 1958, Ser. No. 749,944 1 Claim. (Cl. 9-2) This invention relates to a collapsible boat.

It is an object of this invention to provide a boat composed of a metal skeleton defining the shape of the boat and a water tight skin fitted about said skeleton.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a boat wherein means are provided for rendering the skin taut about the skeleton after the skin has been placed thereabout.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a boat wherein the longitudinal stringers are made in such a way that their resultant length may be increased after it is placed in the water tight skin, thereby tautening the skin about the skeleton.

It is a further object of the invention to provide further such a boat shaped partially by the longitudinal stringers wherein skeleton cross members are provided to shape and flex the longitudinal stringers.

It is a further object of the invention to design such skeleton cross members in such a way that their resultant length may be increased after it is placed in the water tight skin to fiex said longitudinal stringers and tauten said skin.

FIGURE 1 shows a perspective view of a boat in accord with the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross section along the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a detailed view of a portion of the said boat.

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the boat showing the means for longitudinally tensioning the skeleton against the skin.

FIGURE 5 is a detailed view of a portion of FIG URE 4.

FIGURES 6 and 7 are views of the skeleton cross members; and

FIGURE 8 is a detailed view of a portion of such cross members.

FIGURE 9 is a detailed view of the end of a stringer member.

In the drawings is shown a boat skeleton comprising two longitudinal stringers 1=4 defining the upper extremities of the boat side walls and two longitudinal stringers 12 defining the lower extremities of the boat side walls and a central stringer 15 defining the centre of the boat bottom.

A prow member 16 comprises an A shaped member wherein the legs 37 of the A project rearwardly to terminate in telescopic sockets to slidably receive the upper stringers 14. From the apex of the A a prow rib 18 curves forwardly, downwardly and then rearwardly to define the prow of the boat with the rearward projection of the rib being formed as a socket at 20 to slidably, telescopically receive the forward end of the central stringer 15.

Vertically disposed between the A shaped member and the lower extremity of the rib are two lengths of tubular material 17, pivotally mounted on the prow member 18 at 19 and diverging rearwardly and formed with sockets to slidably, telescopically receive the lower stringers 12.

The two upper, two lower and the central stringers 14, 12 and 15 are adapted to project to the rear of the boat where they join a rear panel 22 and the panel shapes and forms the back of the boat. The stringers are joined to the panel member by a means best illustrated in FIG- URE 3.

At each of the upper and lower side edges of the panel 22 and at the bottom centre of the panel there is provided a sleeve 24 adapted to slidably receive a stringer, the sleeve being enclosed to the stern member by a bolt or rivet 25 which allows free angular movement of the sleeve about the anchoring bolt 25. The stringer receiving prow and stern members may be provided with stop members 37 for the extremities of the stringers to avoid wedging of the stringers in the sleeves.

With respect to the telescopic joints already described, it will be understood that the shank and socket members may be reversed within the scope of the invention.

With respect to the number of stringers it will be understood that this number -will be selected to suit the size and type of boat desired.

The construction so far described is collapsible as follows:

The central stringer 15, preferably tubular, is composed of a forward member 15A and a rearward member 15B. One of the members 15B is at the junction provided with a hemispherical projection 26 while the other member 15A is provided with a complementary socket 28 which is preferably merely the tubular bore of the member. A sleeve 30 is made slidable on the members 15A and 15B. This central stringer 15 is assembled in the boat as follows: The forward portion 15A is slidably attached to the rib 18 of prow member '16 and the rearward portion 15B is slidably attached to the centre lower sleeve 24. The shape of the prow member 16 and in particular the angle of rearward projection of rib 18 is such that the forward member 15A projects upwardly as indicated in solid lines in FIGURE 4. Due to the limited universal movement of sleeve 25, the rearward member 1513 can also be adjusted to slope upwardly as indicated in solid lines in FIGURE 4. To assemble the central stringer 15, the forward portion is attached to the prow 16 and the rearward portion to the panel 22 as already described. With the forward member 15A and the rearward member 1513 sloping upwardly, the hemispherical projection 26 is fitted in the corresponding complementary socket 28. This is the solid line position of FIGURE 4 and will be known as the contracted position of stringer 15. To extend the stringer 15 both portions of stringer 15 are pushed downwardly until they are aligned with ball 27 still seated in socket 28 and the sleeve 30 is the slide over the ballsocket joint to hold the members 15A and 15B in suitable alignment. The natural fiexure of members 15A and 15B inside sleeve 30 will reasonably maintain it in position to ensure the continued alignment of the memhers 15A, 15B. The aligned position of members 15A, 15B is shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 4 and this is known as the extended position of central stringer 15.

Lower stringers 12 and upper stringers 14 are constructed and connectable in a similar manner to central stringer 15. This lower stringer 12 comprises a forward portion 12A and a rearward portion 12B and includes a hemispherical projection 26 and a socket 28. Similarly, upper stringers 14 comprise forward portion 14A, rearward portion 14B and include a hemispherical projection 26 and socket 28. Lower and upper stringers 12 and 14 are, therefore, assembled to the stern and prow members in the same manner as the central stringer assembly being somewhat easier if the central stringer is assembled first.

The skeleton cross members are best shown in FIG- URES 6, 7 and 8. These comprise a central plate 36 pivotally joined at 40 to an arm 38 extending half the boat bottom width to take in the assembled position of the boat a position adjacent one of the lower stringers 1-2. An arm 42 is rigidly joined to the central plate 36 to project in such a direction as to take in the assembled position of the boat a position adjacent the other of the lower stringers 12. Corresponding apertures 43 and 45 in the central plate 36 and pivotally mounted arm 38, respectively, allow the insertion of a locking pin 48 to lock the arm 38 in alignment with and projecting in the opposite direction from arm 42.

The central plate 36 is provided with a downwardly directed apex 37 whose depth varies in the various cross members along the length of the boat to shape the bottom contour thereof and the apex is provided with a recess 60 adapted to receive the central stringer 15.

With the pin 48 in place arms 38 and 42 form a single compression beam 38-42 somewhat wider than the distance between lower stringers 12 assumes without such arms in alignment, as shown in FIGURE 6. It should also be noted that without the compression beam spreading the stringers the lower stringers 12 are spaced inwardly relative to the outer stringers 14 a greater distance than they will be under the outward flexure of the compression beam and thus the distance between the respective right hand or left hand stringers will be greater before the arms 38 and 42 are aligned than after. Arms 46 are provided to space the upper and lower stringers when flexed outwardly by the beam 3842 and to act as a compression beam spacing said stringers. The outer extremity of arm 38 or 42 and the lower extremity of each arm 46 is recessed to receive the lower stringer 12. Each arm 46 is linked to the adjacent arm 42 or 38 by a plate 44 having pivotal connections spaced from the lower stringer. The plate 44 is extended toward and provided with a recess 47 to receive the lower'stringer 12.

The upper extremity of each arm 46 is recessed to receive the upper stringers 14. A T-shaped junction 52 member is fitted about the upper stringer 14 at the location of each hole 58, with the cross-bar slidable along the upper stringer 14 and a hollow bored upright extending to receive said arms 46.

The cross members are assembled to the stringers after the stringers are in place connecting the stern and prow members within the skin. First the arms 46 are slid by their upper ends into the hollow uprights of T-shaped members 52 and the recessed lower ends of arms 46 are fitted over the lower stringers 12. There the arms 46 are each fitted easily between the upper and lower stringers before the lower stringers are flexed outwardly by the beam 3842. The beam 38-42 in flexed form,

as shown in FIGURE 6, is fitted at the extremity of arm 3 38 to one lower stringer 12 and at the extremity of the arm 42 to the other lower stringer 12. At the same time the recesses in the respective junction plates 44 are fitted about the lower stringers. By downward pressure of the hand or foot the arms 38 and 42 are then straightened out, flexing the lower stringers 12 outwardly and the pin 48 is slid into place fixing the arms in place. The outward flexure of the lower stringer 12 carries with it the lower extremities of the arms 46 and, as previously explained, and firmly fixes the arms 46 in place as compression beams spacing the upper and lower stringers. At the same time, another beam 38-42 is being straightened out the recess in plate 36 fits itself over central stringer 15.

The cross member thus firmly flexes and shapes the five stringers and is itself firmly held in place. Each stringer 12 is firmly fixed in position in the recesses of arms 38 and 46 or of arms 42 and 46 and theefiect of this fixation plus the plates 44 joining arms 38 and 46 and receiving stringers 12 is to rigidly fix in position the arms 38 and 46 or 42 and 46 relative to each other and to" the stringer 12.

It will be noted that the plates 36 of the difierent cross members are of different depths to control the contour of the central stringer 15. These plates 36 flex the central'stringer into the desired shape and the reaction to 4 the upward pressure of the flexed central stringer is transferred by the cross member to the upper stringers.

The stringer and cross members are preferably of tubular construction for strength and lightness but may be of solid cross section.

A watertight skin 61 is provided adapted to assume about the skeleton, the shape of a'bo'at. The skin is on two edges turned upon itself to provide sleeves 63 which are adapted to receive upper stringer 14, the sleeves having apertures therein to allow projection of the uprights of the T-shaped members 52.

The upper stringers 14 are preferablyprovided with rounded or tapered tips for easy insertion in the sleeves 63.

The collapsibility of the various members will now be discussed. The portions of the boat are therefore as follows:

(:1) Longitudinal stringers 12, 14 and central'stringer 15.

(b) Prow member 16.

(c) Stern member 22.

(d) Cross-members.

(e) Skin 61.

The longitudinal stringers may be disassembled into lengths, half the length of the boat as already discussed.

(b) and (c) The prow and-stern members are unitary.

(d) The cross-members are collapsible as best shown in FIGURE 8, by folding arms 46 parallel to arms 38 and 42 respectively and by removing pin 48 and folding arm 42 relative to arm 38.

(e) The skin is detachable from upper stringers 14 and foldable.

The boat is assembled by threading the upper stringers 14 into the sleeves 63 of skin 61 and ensuring the projection of the T-uprights 52 through the sleeve holes. The lower stringers and the prow or stem members are then placed in the skin and the upper and lower stringers are attached to the bow and stern members 16 and 22 partially shaping the skin into the form of the boat. One end of he forward part 15A of the central stringer is then inserted into the socket of rib 18 in prow member 16, one end of the rearward portion 15B of the central stringer is inserted into a bolt of stern member 22. The two sections are fitted together (in the retracted position). The central stringer is then manually moved to the extended position tautening the skin longitudinally. The sleeve 30 is then slid into place over joint 26-28 to maintain the central stringer in this position. It will be noted that it is the tension of the skin 61 which maintains connected the slidable joints in the stringers and the joints respectively between the bow and stringer members and the stern and stringer members.

I claim:

A collapsible boat comprising: a plurality of longitudinal stringer members, prow and stern members de tachably connected to said longitudinal stringer members, a plurality of cross members detachably connected to and shaping said stringer members between said prow and said stern members, a skin overlying and shaped by said stringer members to provide the walls and bottom of a boat and wherein said plurality of longitudinal stringer members comprise two upper longitudinal string ers defining the upper edge of the boat sidewalls and two lower longitudinal stringers defining the lower edge of the boat sidewalls and wherein said cross members comprise arms adapted to extend between said upper and lower stringer members, and connected to space said members and a beam extending between said opposite lower stringers said beam having bearing surfaces designed to bear outwardly on each of said lower stringers, said beam being composed of two pivotally connected members and being designed to be bent to a contracted position and to be locked in an extended position, said lower stringers being arranged to be spaced a distance less than the extended length of said beam,

whereby said beam may be fitted to said lower stringers References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Murray et a1. June 8, 1880 Rosenberg June 27, 1905 6 Whall Feb. 23, 1926 Churchill Jan. 11, 1927 Straussler Dec. 5, 1935 Wilcox Sept. 8, 1936 Fischer Dec. 12, 1939 McAlister Nov. 5, 1940 Wayne Sept. 19, 1950 Murfay Aug. 10, 1954 Costarella Aug. 12, v 195 8 

